She was sitting in a big group of children, all of whom were dressed in the white shirt and black pants or skirt uniform that every school-aged child in Cambodia wears, yet I noticed her immediately.

Phal with a group of children on the day I met met her in a rural village in Kampot, Cambodia.

Cambodia is one of the most beautiful and harshest places in the world. The people are kind, welcoming and rich with culture. But their history is difficult, the lack of development undeniable and during the summer months, the land is so hot and dry that food and water shortages are common.

Kids in Cambodia rarely smile as it isn’t considered polite and humble, but you can still see the sparkle and curiosity in their eyes. All children are wonderful, but Cambodian kids are some of my favorites — tough, self-sufficient and very innovative. They are generally extremely polite and fun.

During the dry season, Cambodia’s normally lush, green rice paddies turn brown and dusty. This image shows how desolate and isolated the region where Phal lives is. This photo is taken just a few hundred yards from Phal’s aunt’s home.

I’m lucky to get to meet kids in Holt’s programs around the world regularly. Even when I don’t share their language, there are a few go-to tricks to connect with kids — waving, high-fiving, taking pictures together, starting a game.

A photo I snapped of our photographer showing kids their photo. I took this photo just after we met Phal. We stopped at one more house a short distance away, but she was still heavy on my mind.This is me walking the few hundred yards to the house where we met Phal. We met her at a village elder’s home — not her own. Children and families in Cambodian villages regularly use an elder or village leader’s home as a meeting place for afterschool programs, community trainings or celebrations.

Phal was different. Her face was blank, her eyes dark, her despair so evident. I tried to engage with her, but she bowed her head and then literally turned so her back was to me. I could see her eyes filling with tears.

Based on her height and weight, I guessed she was about 7 or 8, but when I asked our staff, I learned that she was actually 11. Her dark brown hair was turning orange — a sign of severe malnutrition.

Our staff told me that Phal had recently lost both her parents in tragic accidents, just months apart. Phal and her twin brother watched in grief as their two older siblings sold everything the family owned — including their land — to bury their mom and dad. Phal’s older siblings were barely adults themselves, but they had both migrated to search for work on farms or in garment factories in Phnom Penh. Phal started living with one of her aunts, while her twin brother went to live with another extended family member. But both these extended family members had their own children to feed, and in this impoverished area where drought and food shortages are common, there was already too little to go around.

Phal was hungry. She was scared. She had no parents to keep her safe. She grieved the loss of her mom and dad and the separation from her siblings. The more I learned about her short, tragic life, the more my heart broke for her. A village elder walked Phal away from the group of children who had gathered to share stories and play with their American visitors. He got her an extra bowl of rice — a precious meal the elder’s family couldn’t afford to share — and Phal ate it quietly, politely and thanked her neighbor again and again for sharing.

I left the village a few hours later, but Phal’s little face stuck in my head.

Beautiful Phal was not keen on us taking her photo. We snapped this one just before she broke into tears, and an elder in her village scooped her up and took her to eat a bowl of rice.

Phal in her second sponsorship update.Phal in her third sponsorship update.

I watched for an update on Phal. In October, I received a new picture. Phal’s hair was her solid shade of brown and all the orange had disappeared. She looked taller, her clothes were cleaner. But her face — it showed the same pain as before.

Phal’s new advocate shared an update on her: “Phal still doesn’t have sufficient food. She did not pass her exams. Besides school, she helps with looking after a 1-year-old niece. Phal does not have many friends. She is very shy and not brave meeting others. Her goal is to be a waitress in a restaurant. Her aunt is very poor and does not have a stable job. They need assistance to survive.”

Then, another update — this one much bleaker.

Another photo from a sponsorship update. Finally, in this one, her hair is darker, her clothes are cleaner and she looks like she is growing.

Phal’s living situation was no longer safe. For the sake of her privacy, I’ll keep the details vague. But after so much hardship, so much pain and so much trauma, the house she was living in was not a place she could continue to safely stay. She needed to get out as soon as possible.

Our on-the-ground staff made a plan, but they needed help from donors to make it happen. Phal’s advocate contacted Phal’s older siblings to see if they could care for her, and while their heart broke for their little sister, they didn’t have any of the things they needed to help her. The had no land, no house … nothing.

I was SO happy to see these photos of Phal’s new house during the construction process. The people who helped build her home had to wait a while because the rainy season made the ground really unstable. Her house is built on stilts so that it won’t flood and the family will have a shady place to store things. Tin houses are considered a sign of wealth in Phal’s village because many families build their huts with wood and thatched palms for the roof and walls.

Our CEO shared about Phal in a Christmas request to donors, asking for extra help for kids who we had identified around the world with the most urgent, pressing needs. And, generously, so many wonderful, kind, compassionate people gave what they could to help these children — including many Holt staff members who were moved by Phal’s story!

Phal’s new house during construction!

In an amazing act of generosity, donors provided enough to build Phal’s family a safe and stable house big enough for everyone — and also to equip Phal and her family with essentials likes dishes, pots and pans, and other household needs. They also made a year-long commitment to provide an extra little stipend — helping Phal’s siblings afford basic necessities for Phal and her twin!

Phal’s new home during construction.

FINALLY Phal is reunited with her twin. FINALLY she is safe. FINALLY she is surrounded by love.

As one of Phal’s sponsors and Holt’s creative director, I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your generosity to this beautiful little girl.

Phal is, without a doubt, the saddest child I have ever met. But because of you, her life is taking a major turn. I can’t wait to receive an update and see a picture of her with a smile on her face.

Still no smile on Phal’s face, but here she is with her twin brother, older brother and older sister on the steps of their new and complete home. Her siblings, along with their spouses and children, have promised to care for Phal no matter what it takes. Phal’s eldest brother is working with Holt to hopefully open a road-side stall where he can sell produce or receiving training to cut hair.

But in the meantime, I’m filled with gratitude.

So many charity organizations aren’t able to go the extra mile for kids. They provide food, one-time access to a doctor or pay a child’s school fees. But then they are gone.

It’s only because of Phal’s in-country advocate that we learned she was in danger. Because of this extra advocacy in her rural village, we were able to connect donors with staff on the ground to make a personalized plan for Phal and her family.

This is me meeting with kids in Cambodia. This isn’t Phal’s house. It’s the next stop after we met Phal.

Poverty, abuse and neglect are complicated. They require one-to-one solutions. And because of you — and Holt’s amazing staff in Cambodia — Phal received the help she needed, regardless of cost.

You can’t put a price on a child’s worth, a child’s safety or a child’s future. And I’m so glad that because of our donors, we don’t have to.

Billie Loewen | Creative Director

My husband and I holding Phal’s sponsorship updates in a photo that we sent to Phal in her birthday card. We wanted her to know that we were receiving news about her regularly, and that we care about her deeply.